National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1887-06-20
WOMEN HAVE THE MOST NERv,
They Spend Minutes In tho Morgu
While Men Wouldn't Stay Seconds

mail and Expre,s.l
"Some idea of the morbid curiosity PEG
have to look upon the faces Of the unkna
dead has been given by the multitude
people who, on all sorts Of pretcnses, vi.
the morgue at Railway and gazed upo
dead body Of the unknown victim OF a.
known murderer; but to apprecia'
thoroughly man has but TO spend Of.
here with me.n
The speaker was Joseph Fogarty.
has handled and identified more OF O.,
York's unknown dead, perhaps, than
other man, unless an exception is m e,
favor Of Morgue Keeper White.
"These pine collins, damp walls, ~
half decayed bodies seem TO have an a'std
ton for people-women especially.
have more of the latter in day than v.
OF the men folks In a month. Aad
are really more ipquisitive and show H.
nerve then the men do. Take 10 to-day
instance. When young Mr.. Kutcher G.
here to identify the body of his mother,
reporters who were here advised him
to look at her, ms she was past all recog
ton, as far as her features were concernei
He readily gave IN oil idea OF looking q,
the body. Habit been woman to whom
such advice was given the reporters would
have had their trouble for their palms. As
was the case ct Railway, about three
fourths Of the visitors to the morgue came
with a lie on their lips. They attempt o
look OF sadness and claim to be looking for
the body OF some near friend or relative.
Beneath the mask, however, the practlced
detect the eager expectancy OF the curious.
we often catch them by asking for the
name OF the missing person. II all the
Smiths and Jones that people have been
here. to look for were dead the two
families would be extinct. OF course
they are embarrassed, but we
never seem to notice It. Out come
the photographs and records OF the
missing people, but 1t is the unknown
shown through the morgue. Then, again h,
women stand the scenes better than men
They are more demonstrative at first, but
the effect soon passes away, and they spend
minutes among the slabs where a man
would not spend seconds. must, how
ever, say one good thing for the women.
When they are really in search of missing
persons they afford us much more aid I'm
Identification than men do. A woman
describes the size, appearance, physical
condition, and clothing very much better
than men do, and right here would like to
say that l believe there should be q law
passed compelling people to have their I'M
derclothipg plainly and fully marked with
their names. Oftentimes word is sent that
such and such person is missing. Months
afterward the rivers give up body which
is 80 decomposed that 1t is impossible to
recognize It. The clothing has become
faded, ragged, and torn, and as rule only
pieces OF underclothing are left. IL these
were plainly marked many people who now
merely disappear, and whose bodies are
really found but not identified, would find
resting place elsewhere than In Potter's
Field. Take the case just mentioned,
that Of Mary Kutcher, for Instance. Only
the name on her underclothing revealed
her identity. Yet In less than an hour after
her body was brought here 1t was claimed
by her son,n